Issue 040
August 2008
Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson 26-6-0
Los Angeles, USA
IN BRIEF: Charismatic and ghetto-tastic, the fan- favourite light heavyweight spent the majority of his career fighting in Japan before heading back to the USA.
THE GOOD: Street-tough, packs a punch and is known for his awesome slams. Very durable.
THE BAD: By his own admission, his ground game isn’t the sharpest.
NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENT: Winning the UFC light heavyweight title was impressive, but defending it against Henderson sealed his place as top dog.
MUST-SEE FIGHT: His first fight with Liddell in 2003 was, at the time, something of an upset (as well as highly entertaining).
Forrest Griffin 15-4-0
Las Vegas, Nevada
IN BRIEF: Lanky all-rounder and winner of the very first series of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF).
THE GOOD: Good kickboxing, solid wrestling, great jiu-jitsu. Happy to take a punch or two to get the job done.
THE BAD: Until last year when he defeated Shogun, he seemed to lack self-belief. His boxing defence isn’t the tightest.
NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENT: Winning the first TUF was his breakthrough, but the win over Shogun put him in title contention.
MUST-SEE FIGHT: His first fight with Stephan Bonnar, the TUF finale, was a hyperactive brawl loved by fans.
Chuck Liddell 21-5-0
San Luis Obispo, California
IN BRIEF: Former UFC champ and pioneer of the ‘sprawl and brawl’ style of fighting.
THE GOOD: Exceptional takedown defence, powerful striking and good footwork. Loves a good scrap.
THE BAD: Has a rudimentary yet functional ground game. His pre-fight partying draws heavy criticism.
NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENT: UFC light heavyweight champ from 2005 to 2007, was the first UFC fighter on the cover of ESPN magazine.
MUST-SEE FIGHT: Either of his bad blood scraps with Tito Ortiz, and his long-awaited fight with Wanderlei last December.
Rashad Evans 11-0-1
Lansing, Michigan
IN BRIEF: Controversial undefeated fighter who won TUF series 2 as a heavyweight.
THE GOOD: Fast hands and excellent wrestling, fights intelligently and is able to control the pace of fights.
THE BAD: Known to cruise during fights, preferring to stall and control rather than push the pace. Small for division in comparison to others.
NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENT: Managing to stay undefeated against the other light heavyweight contenders.
MUST-SEE FIGHT: His highlight-reel worthy high kick KO of Sean Salmon, which saw Salmon carried out of the Octagon on a stretcher.
Lyoto Machida 13-0-0
Belém, Brazil
IN BRIEF: Karate stylist-turned-MMA fighter. Highly dangerous with wins over big names.
THE GOOD: A southpaw, his footwork is among the best in the entire sport. Quick in-and-out striking makes him a hard target.
THE BAD: Extremely frustrating to watch. Looks like he is doing nothing as he clinically picks apart his opponents.
NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENT: Remaining undefeated in one of the toughest divisions in the world. No doubt a title contender soon.
MUST-SEE FIGHT: The stoppage wins over Franklin and Bonnar, as well as his handling of Sokoudjou.
Shogun Rua 16-3-0
Curitaba, Brazil
IN BRIEF: Flashy Chute Boxe-trained striker, younger brother of well-known middleweight ‘Ninja’.
THE GOOD: Awesome striking, good groundwork and very athletic. Dangerous in any range.
THE BAD: In his last fight against Forrest Griffin he looked horrendously out of shape and a shadow of his former self.
NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENT: Won the Pride 2005 Grand Prix, stopping both Alistair Overeem and Ricardo Arona in the same evening.
MUST-SEE FIGHT: He brutally destroyed Rampage within five minutes back in 2005, albeit thanks to Pride’s different rules.
Renato ‘Babalu’ Sobral 29-7-0
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
IN BRIEF: Owner of a seriously bad attitude and kick-ass tattoos, Babalu is your typical MMA bad boy.
THE GOOD: Solid wrestling, very technical ground work, tonnes of experience.
THE BAD: The few times he has stepped onto the big stage he has crumbled under the pressure.
NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENT: Winning the IFC light heavyweight tournament, beating Trevor Prangley, Shogun and Jeremy Horn all on one night.
MUST-SEE FIGHT: The entire IFC tournament, also his complete schooling of wrestler Chael Sonnon (a lesson in Brazilian jiu-jitsu).
